India’s Healthcare Sector

Context

The Finance Minister of India announced significant measures in the Union Budget 2024 to bolster India’s healthcare sector. 

About

• The Health Ministry’s budget allocation increased by 12.59% to Rs 90,658.63 crore.
• The Department of Health and Family Welfare will get hold of a vast part of this allocation, with Rs 87,656.90 crore dedicated to its projects.
• The Department of Health Research will acquire Rs 3,301.73 crore, ensuring sustained support for medical studies and improvement.
• One of the important measures introduced was the exemption of customs duties on 3 more cancer medications, a move designed to relieve the monetary burden on patients struggling with most cancers.
• These 3 cancer medications: Trastuzumab Deruxtecan, Osimertinib, and Durvalumab, are commonly prescribed in India for breast cancer, lung cancer and bladder cancer. 
• Changes in Basic Customs Duty (BCD) on X-ray tubes and flat panel detectors.

Healthcare Sector of India

• Healthcare Sector: It comprises hospitals, medical systems, medical trials, outsourcing, telemedicine, medical tourism, medical insurance and medical system. 
  • India’s healthcare delivery system is categorised into two major components – public and private. 
• Public Sector: It incorporates restricted secondary and tertiary care institutions in key cities and makes a speciality of offering simple healthcare facilities inside the shape of Primary Healthcare Centers (PHCs) in rural areas. 
• Private Sector: The private sector offers the majority of secondary, tertiary, and quaternary care establishments with a prime awareness in metros, tier-I, and tier-II towns.

Structure of Financing of Public Healthcare Sector in India

• The Ministry of Health and Family Welfare broadly takes responsibility for formulating coverage for public health.
• It presents administrative and monetary support to states to perform public health centers and infrastructure, and to address unique health issues, such as maternal health and vitamins. 
• It also establishes and runs medical Institutes of National Importance together with AIIMS in addition to institutions in union territories which includes Delhi.
• The Ministry comprises: the Department of Health and Family Welfare, that’s liable for implementing public health schemes and regulating scientific education, and
• The Department of Health Research that is responsible for conducting medical studies. 

Concerns with low Public Expenditure on Healthcare

• This has ended in insufficient health infrastructure such as human sources, and gradual improvement in key health signs.  
• Limited Access to Healthcare Services: Low public spending hampers accessibility to healthcare services, especially in rural and far off areas where infrastructure is already lacking.
  • This exacerbates health disparities among city and rural populations and results in many humans being unable to come up with the money for or access to vital medical services.
• Neglected Preventive and Primary Care: A massive part of healthcare spending in India is directed closer to tertiary care, neglecting preventive and number one healthcare services.
  • These consequences in ignored possibilities for early detection and control of illnesses, leading to better treatment expenses and poorer health results ultimately.
• Higher Disease Burden: Low public spending on healthcare contributes to a better burden of preventable diseases along with communicable diseases, malnutrition, and maternal and toddler health troubles. 
• Increased Out-of-Pocket Expenditure: The lack of public healthcare infrastructure has led humans to apply private health services more, and that has improved the financial burden on citizens.  

Recent steps Taken by the Government for the Growth of Healthcare Sector

• National Digital Health Mission (NDHM): Launched in 2020, NDHM ambitions to create a virtual health environment, which includes health IDs for residents and the status quo of a national virtual health infrastructure.
• Ayushman Bharat Pradhan Mantri Jan Arogya Yojana (AB-PMJAY): AB-PMJAY, released in 2018, is a national health safety scheme that offers financial protection to over a hundred million families for secondary and tertiary care hospitalization.
• National Health Policy 2017: The National Health Policy outlines the government’s vision to achieve the highest possible level of health and well-being for all and emphasizes preventive and promotive healthcare.
• Health and Wellness Centers (HWCs): The government is operating closer to reworking primary health centers into HWCs to offer complete number one healthcare services, including preventive and promotive care.
• Pradhan Mantri Swasthya Suraksha Yojana (PMSSY): PMSSY pursuits to decorate tertiary care capacities and fortify scientific education in the country by setting up new AIIMS (All India Institutes of Medical Sciences) institutions and upgrading current government medical faculties.
• Research and Development Initiatives: The government has been encouraging research and improvement in healthcare, consisting of help for the development of vaccines, tablets, and medical technology.
• National Medical Commission (NMC) Act: The NMC Act, passed in 2019, aims to convey reforms in scientific education and practice by way of replacing the Medical Council of India (MCI) and selling transparency and accountability.
• Jan Aushadhi Scheme: The Pradhan Mantri Bhartiya Janaushadhi Pariyojana (PMBJP) aims to offer high-quality ordinary drugs at low-priced prices by Jan Aushadhi Kendras.

Way Ahead

• The COVID-19 pandemic had proven the cracks in India’s health machine and highlighted the want for extended public investment in healthcare. 
• Effective number one health care can prevent or pre-empt the prevalence of greater critical health issues, which means that usual health outcomes may be advanced substantially through investing in primary healthcare.

Source: The Indian Express